Lara Goscé & Anders Johansson Report

Andrew Boff: What consideration was taken on the Lara Goscé & Anders Johansson report published in December 2019?

The Mayor: I understand that the 2018 report suggested a link between public transport usage and spread of infectious disease, while noting this correlation is something that was in any case generally assumed. The report relied on several assumptions and the authors themselves acknowledged limitations of the study design. I am pleased that Transport for London (TfL) is currently actively engaging researchers to collect real-world data on the network to inform us of ways we can keep the network safe.
By the time the report was published, TfL had already undertaken an assessment of its cleaning procedures during the SARS outbreak in 2015 and at the time its cleaning regime was considered to be adequate with general purpose cleaning agents and regular cleaning regimes in use across the network. This previous assessment allowed TfL to respond more quickly to the COVID-19 outbreak.
The way in which COVID-19 spreads is still not completely understood; initially it was thought to spread mainly through droplet and surface contact, but recent evidence points to an element of airborne infection. As understanding has improved, TfL has taken steps to reduce risk by, for example, enhancing its cleaning regime. This is also why I called for the use of face coverings, which has since been made mandatory on public transport by the Government.
TfL continues to monitor – and where appropriate participate in – research into the risk of spread of infectious disease on public transport networks.